HAVING sat through one of Everton's worst performances in recent years at the weekend, it is little wonder Ioan Andone flew back to Romania in high spirits.

Offering the assessment that the Blues are in "bad shape" and upbeat about his chances of qualifying for the UEFA Cup group stages, the Dinamo Bucharest manager is convinced the Red Dogs are ready to add to Everton's woes.

As Andone has talked up the chances of his side in the local media, David Moyes had to deal with some hostile questions from Romanian journalists last night, many of whom demand explanations as to why the Blues were engulfed by a "crisis".

True, five defeats in six games this season may not give the best impression but Moyes - a man who always relishes a challenge - simply smiled at his inquisitors and offered an explanation that

Everton aren't exactly in "bad shape".

"We finished above Liverpool in the Premiership last season and they won the European Cup - that's not so bad, is it?" he asked one particular nuisance.

Moyes, though, knows it is time for Everton to start showing the quality which secured that famous fourth place finish to quiet the likes of Andone.

"After the way we played on Saturday, he has probably got that right about us," said Moyes. "But if he'd seen us play against Villarreal or in one or two other games, he might think differently.

"They have got some quick players, exciting players who can cause you problems. At home I think they will be a hard team to contain.

"Bucharest are not of Villarreal standard, though. Not in my eyes. But they have international players and they are on their own patch.

"I think we have played well this season with the exception of Saturday and we haven't got some of the results we have deserved. I have got my ideas about why we didn't play well and I have told the players.

"I will be looking for a different performance, a different reaction and then hopefully a more positive result. We couldn ' t have been much more positive against Portsmouth, though. We played with two up front."

Having worked so hard for so long to get Everton back into the big time, Moyes and the rest of his staff are anxious not to blow the golden chance that stands in front of them by doing anything reckless in this impoverished corner of Eastern Europe.

Provided they can avoid defeat in the ramshackle Stefan cel Mare Stadium, Everton should be able to negotiate the second leg without much trouble and Moyes intends to do everything he can to maximise their chances of progress.

Everything points to Moyes' reverting to his favoured 4-5-1 formation, with Phil Neville in the mid-field holding role and Marcus Bent likely to be the lone striker.

Moyes said: "If we don't get through, we will feel as if we have wasted what we had worked so hard and craved for last season in making the Champions League.

"Obviously we are out of that and now we have to make sure we get through in the UEFA Cup. I'll make sure we have got a chance of winning the tie after the first leg. I want to come home with a good result.

"The Champions League is water under the bridge and we have moved on. Of course, it is still tinged on our thoughts but there is nothing we can do about that.